Fireball XL5 is a science fiction-themed children's television show that follows the missions of the spaceship Fireball XL5, commanded by Colonel Steve Zodiac of the World Space Patrol. The show was produced in 1962 by the husband-and-wife team Gerry and Sylvia Anderson through their company APF, in association with ATV for ITC Entertainment. While developing his new show, Anderson thought a brand of motor oil—Castrol XL—had an interesting ring to it. A phonetic alteration led to the name "Fireball XL", with the "-5" added because the title seemed a bit flat without the numeral. The show featured the Andersons' Supermarionation, a form of puppetry first introduced in Four Feather Falls and Supercar, and used again in their later productions such as Stingray and Captain Scarlet. Thirty-nine black and white half-hour episodes of Fireball XL5 were made on 35mm film: all future Anderson series were produced in color. Several Anderson series have been shown in syndication in the US, but Fireball XL5 is the only Anderson series to have aired on a US network. NBC ran the series in its Saturday morning children's block from 1963 until September 1965. A similar program often confused with Fireball XL5 is Space Patrol, produced by Gerry Anderson's former business partner and co-founder of AP Films, Arthur Provis, due to several similarities and settings.
